Blank-feeding mechanism.



No. 777.550. PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904.

J. R. SCOTT.

BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1902.

no MODEL. e sums-sum 1.

PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904.

J. R. SCOTT. BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

Jrzuarztar PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904.

J. R. SCOTT.

BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR. 6, 1902.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904.

J. R. SCOTT.

BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1902.

6' SHEETS-SHEET 4 N0 MODEL.

No. 777,550. PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904.

, J. R. SCOTT.

BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. e, 1902.-

N MODEL; s sanms-smm 5.

No. 777,550. PATENTED DEG113, 1904.

J. R. SCOTT.

BLANK FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR. 6, 1902.

N0 MODEL. 6SHEETS-SHEET 6 UNTTT: ST TES Patented December 13, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB R. SCOTT, OF BOSTON, iVIYASSAOHUSE'lTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY. OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPO- RATION OF NEW JERSEY.

.BLANK-FEEDING MECHANISM,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,550, dated December 13, 1904.

Original application filed October 5,

application filed March 6, 1902. Serial 1'0 rtZZ 10/2/0727, 11!; mu/y concern:

Be itknown that I, J AOOB R. Soorr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blank-Feeding Mechanism; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to a blankfeeding mechanism, and more particularly to a blank-feeding mechanism for feeding blanks to the skiving mechanism of machines for skiving articles of leather, such as boot or shoe counters, box-toe pieces, and the like.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved blank-feeding mechanism for acting upon the blanks of a pile supported in a hopper whereby the machine in which the blankfeeding mechanism is used is rendered more certain and reliable in operation and more completely automatic in its action.

With this object in view my invention consists in a blank-feeding mechanism comprising a follower arranged to act upon a pile of blanks in a hopper and mechanism for actuating the follower, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is intended primarily as an improvement on certain leather-skiving machines heretofore devised by me and forming the subject-matter of prior applications for Letters Patent, the particular machine to which the illustrated embodiment of the present invention has been applied being disclosed, except as to certain features hereinafter referred to, in my application, Serial N o. 4L9, 158, filed February 27, 1901. It is to be understood, however, that my invention is not limited to the machine shown nor, except as specifically defined in the claims, is it limited to any particular construction or arrangement of parts.

In carrying out my invention I provide a follower arranged to act on the pile of blanks in a hopper and mechanism for actuating the follower to maintain the pile of blanks in proper position to be fed from the hopper and for actuating the follower in a direction to al- 5 low a new supply of blanks to be placed in the hopper. In the illustrated embodiment of my invention hereinafter described the same mechanism is utilized to actuate the follower in both directions, said mechanism being provided with reversing devices by means of which the direction of movement imparted to the follower can be changed. It is to be understood, however, that my invention, except as defined in the claims, is not limited to such a construction, but that a construction in which a separate mechanism is utilized to actuate the follower in each direction is within the purview thereof. It is also to be understood that certain features of invention are not limited to a construction comprising mechanism for actuating the follower in both directions.

In the construction embodying my inven tion in its preferred form the mechanism for actuating the follower includes a friction power-transmitting device, by means of which the follower is pressed against the pile of blanks with a constant pressure, depending on the adjustment of the friction device, and 7 5 which enables the mechanism to quickly bring the follower into contact with the pile of blanks or to raise it therefrom. in order to insure that a blank will be fed from the pile at each actuation of the mechanism for feeding blanks 8o therefrom, I provide means whereby the mechanism for actuating the follower to maintain the pile of blanks in proper position with relation to the fecdin g mechanism is thrown into operation before the feeding mechanism, and 8 5 1 also provide means whereby the feeding mechanism is thrown out of operation before said mechanism for actuating the follower.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a view in side elevation of a counter-skiving machine embodying the same. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the maupper portion chine shown in Fig. 1 looking in the opposite direction. Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation looking from the right of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a plan view. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional View taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, illustrating the mechanism for actuating the follower. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the of the machine. Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line7 7 of Fig. 6, and Fig. 8 is a detail view of the connection between a lever and rod which form a portion of the means for throwing the feeding mechanism out of operation.

The machine illustrated in the drawings in addition to the features of novelty hereinbefore referred to, which form the subject-matter of the claims of this application, also possesses certain features of novelty and invention not claimed herein, but which form the subject-matter of my pending application, Serial No. 77,730, filed October 5, 1901, of which this application is a division. These features relate to an improved pressure devicefor holding the blank in the die-cavity of the die-roller during the skiving operation and to means for delivering a skived blank. from the bite of the die-roller and skivingknife.

Referring to the drawings, 1 indicates a suitable hollow standard or base which supports the frame 2, of any suitable construction for supporting the operating parts. The frame 2, as shown, consists of a base-plate 3, through which the bolts 4: pass, which secure the frame to the standard 1, side plates 5, cross-webs 6 and 7 connecting the side plates 5, and-a yoke 8, bolted to the side plates at the delivery end of the machine and extending upward and inward over the center of the machine. A driving-shaft 9 is journaled in the lower portion of the frame 2 and has secured thereto at one end a hand-wheel 10 and at the other end a pinion 11 and a drivingpulley 12. A pulley 13 is mounted on the shaft 9 beside the driving-pulley 12 and rotates freely thereon.

14: designates the die-roll, which, as shown, is of the same construction as the die-roll shown in my prior application above referred to and is removably mounted in the same manner. This die-roll is provided with two die-cavities whose greatest length extends longitudinally of the roller, and the construction by which the roller is mounted is such that the roller can be placed in the machine in a position to bring either die-cavity into cooperative relation with the feeding mechanism. The die-cavities are of different depth, so that by adjusting the position of the roller the machine can be used to satisfactorily skive blanks of different thicknesses without substituting a new roller. The die-roller is sup ported by a shaft 15 between a sleeve 16, journaled in a bearing-block in the upper portion of one of the side plates 5 of the frame, and

a short shaft 17, journaled in a bearingrblock in the upper portion of the other side plate 5, the end of the shaft 17 next to the die-roller 1 being bored axially to form a sleeve similar to the sleeve 16. The shaft 15 extends axially through the sleeve 16, the roller 1 1, and into the sleeve formed by the shaft 17 and is held in position by means of a screw-threaded rod '18, which passes through the shaft 17 longitudinally and has a screw-threaded engagement with the end of shaft 15. By this construction the shaft 15 can be rotated, by means of the hand-knob 19 at the outer end of the shaft, to disengage the shaft from the screw-threaded rod 18, and then withdrawn to allow the removal of the die-roll 14 from the machine. In order to cause the die-roll to revolve with the shaft 17 and the sleeve 16 to revolve with the die-roll and also to enable the die-roller to be placed in the machine, so as to bring either of the die-cavities in proper relation to the feeding mechanism, the ends of the die-roll are slotted to receive projections from flanges on the adjacent ends of the sleeve 16 and shaft 17. The shaft 17 is driven from the pinion 11 on the driving shaft through a gear 20, secured to the reduced outer end of the shaft by means of screw 21, which meshes with the pinion 11.

The pressure device for holding the blank in the die-cavity during the skiving operation is shown as consisting of a series of verside in a recess in the vertical face of the cross-. web 6 of the machine-frame and held in such recess by a block 23, bolted to the cross-web. The slides 22 are offset at their upper and lower ends, so that the movement of the slides islimited in both directions by the contact of the offsets with the block 23. Each slide rests upon a separate leaf-spring 2a, which forces the slide toward the die-roller with sufficient force to hold the blank firmly in contact with the bottom of the die-cavity and permits each slide to yield independently. The upper ends of the slides are in contact with each other, so that the pressing-surface formed by the tinuous.

The skiving-knife is indicated at 25 and is secured to the upper surface of the cross-web 7 by means of screws 26 passing through slots in the knife. Screws 27, passing through the vertical portion of the web 7 and bearing against the rear edge of the knife, serve as a means for adjusting the position of the knife or as stops for insuring the correct position of the knife when it is replaced after removal. It will be noted that no portion of the pressure device extends to the rear of the cutting edge of the skiving-knife, and that consequently the knife can be adjusted to bring its cutting edge in close proximity to and substantially in line with the line of contact of the die-roller and pressure device with tically-movable slides 22, mounted side by upper ends of the slides is practically conthe blank. The blank is thus acted upon by the knife at the point where it is firmly held in the die-cavity by the pressure device and has no tendency to rise from the die, as is the case when the edge of the knife is situated at some distance from such line of contact.

28 designates a roller, preferably provided with a yielding surface, such as rubber, which is arranged at the rear of the line of contact of the die-roller and pressure device with the blank and cooperates with the die-roller in iii delivering the blank from the bite of the die-r0ller and skiving-knife and discl'larges the blank from the machine. The roller 28 rotates with the same peripheral speed as the die-roller, and in the machine shown in the drawings means are provided for imparting a positive rotation thereto. This means consists of a pinion 29, mounted on the end of the roller-shaft, (see Fig. 2,) which meshes with a pinion 30, which in turnmeshes with a gear 31, secured to one end of a shaft 32, journaled in the yoke 8 of the frame. To the other end of the shaft 32 is secured a gear 33, which meshes with a pinion 34:, secured to the shaft 17. (See Figs. 3 and 7.)

The horizontal portion of the cross-web 6 of the machine-frame forms a feed-table over which the blanks are-fed to the die-roller and pressure device. Located above the feedtable is a hopper for holdinga pile of blanks, said hopper, as shown, comprising a front wall 35, from which a flange projects. by means of which the front wall is supported on the top of the bearing-blocks for the sleeve 16 and shaft 17. Between these bearing blocks the flange is bent downwardly over the die-roller to form a guard 36 to prevent the blank from passing backward over the top of the die-roller; Said hopper also comprises side walls 37, which are adjustably secured to the feed-table by means of bolts 38 passing through slots in the lateral extensions 39 of the side walls. Located below the front wall 35 and forming a continuation thereof is a vertically-movable plate 40, beneath which the blanks are fed to the dieroller and pressure device and which acts as a presser for holding the blank-against the feed-table and also as a guard for preventing more than one blank being fed forward at a time. This plate is held in position between the bearing-blocks for the sleeve 16 and shaft 17 and the side walls 37 and is yieldingly pressed toward the feed table by coiled springs 421, as is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The upward movement of the plate 40 is limited by adjustable stop-screws 41*, whereby the plate is positively prevented from rising high enough to permit the passage of more than one blank thereunder.

The feeding mechanism which I have illustrated for feeding the blanks from the hopper is somewhat similar to that disclosed in my prior application, Serial N 0. 9,158, and

comprises a feed-slide 42, arranged to reciprocate over the feed-table 6. This feed-slide is secured to a block 43 by screws l i passing through slots (not shown) in the feed-slide and can be adjusted thereon by means of a screw 45, having a screw-threaded engagement with the block and being provided with a flange which passes through an opening in the feed-slide. The block is mounted in suitable guideways and is reciprocated by means of a link 4L6, which is pivotally connected to a yoke 47, secured to a rock-shaft 4L8, journaled in the side plates 5 of the frame. The rock-shaft 48 has secured thereto an arm 49, (see Fig. 1,) which is connected, by means of a link 50, to the lower end of a lever 51, the upper end of which is provided with a roll which engages a cam-groove in the face of gear 20. As in the machine disclosed in my prior application, Serial No. 49,158, the connection between the feed-slide and its actuating mechanism is such that the feeding mechanism can be thrown out of operation to stop the feeding of blanks without stopping the machine, some of the advantages of this arrangement being that thereby the jar and strain of the parts incident to starting and stopping the machine is avoided and the operation of the machine can be readily and quickly controlled by the operator. The construction for accomplishing this resultis as follows: The link 46 is provided with an open-ended slot which receives a pin 52, extending between lugs projecting downwardly from the block 4:3. The link 46 rests upon a roll 53, which is journaled between the arms of a yoke 54, loosely pivoted upon the rockshaft 48. The yoke 54 is connected, by means of a rod 55, to one end of lever 56, pivoted to the base 1, the other end of the lever 56 being connected, as will be hereinafter described, to a rod 57, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to a treadle 58. The above -described construction is such that when the treadle 58 is depressed the roll 53 is raised into a position to cause the pin 52 to remain in the slot in the link 16 during the reciprocation of the link and when the treadle is raised the roll 53 is lowered sufliciently to allow the pin 52 to be disengaged from the slot in the link 4:6. One wall of the slot in the link a6 extends into a position to contact with the pin 52 both when the link is raised by the roll 53 and also when it is allowed to drop, while the other wall of the slot extends into a position to engage the pin 52 only when the link is in .its raised position. By this construction the feed-slide 4.2 always stops in its forward position, when the roll 53 is lowered to disengage the link from the block 13. In order to prevent the blanks in the hopper being displaced during the backward movement of the feed-slide a guard-plate 59, is secured to the frame of the machine and extends over the feed-slide in close proximity thereto. This guard-plate also serves as a table to support the blanks preparatory to their being placed in the hopper. The means for securing the guard-plate to the frame of the machineconsists of bolts 60, (see Fig. 4,) which pass through slots in the guard-plate, whereby the guard-plate can be adjusted to allow blanks of different widths to be placed in the hopper.

The follower which 1 have provided for maintaining the pile of blanks in position to allow the blanks to be fed successively from the hopper is indicated at 61. The mechanism for actuating the follower may be described as follows: The follower is secured, by means of a set-screw, to the lower end of a rod 62, mounted to slide in a guideway formed in the upper portion of the yoke 8 of the frame. This rod is provided with a series of rackteeth, which mesh with the teeth of a pinion 63, 'journaled in the yoke 8 of the frame, as is clearly shown in Fig. 5. Formed integral with the pinion 63 is a beveled gear 64, with which either of two oppositely-disposed beveled gears 65 and 66, secured to a shaft 67, are arranged to engage. The shaft 67 is mounted to rotate and slide in bearings in the yoke 8 of the frame and is rotated from the shaft 32 by means of a belt 68, passing over a pulley formed integral with the gear 33 and over a pulley 69, frictionally mounted upon a shaft 67. The pulley 69 is mounted upon the shaft 67 between two friction-disks 7 0, one of which is held from rotation independently of the shaft by means of a pin 71, connecting it with a flange on the shaft. and the other of which is connected by a pin 72 to a washer 73, surrounding the shaft. A coiled spring 74, surrounding the shaft and interposed between the washer 7 3 and a washer 75, presses the washer 73 andfriction-disk connected therewith against the pulley 69 and the pulley 69 against the other friction-disk. A nut 76, screwed on the end of shaft 67 and bearing against the washer 75, serves as a means for adjusting the friction. As a means for lubricating the bearings of the shaft adjacent the pulley 69 the shaft is provided with a series 'ofshallow rectangular grooves at this point for retaining the lubricating-oil, and as a means for lubricating the pulley 69 on the shaft 7 O the end of the shaft is bored axially to form an oil-receptacle which communicates by suitable openings with one or more of the shallow grooves above referred to and with the bearing-surface of the pulley.

The above-described construction is such that when the beveled gear 66 is in engagement with beveled gear 64, as shown in the drawings, the follower is actuated to press the pile of blanks toward the feed-table and maintain the blanks in proper position to be acted upon by the feeding mechanism, and when the beveled gear 65 is in engagement with the beveled gear 64 the follower is actuated direction to allow a new supply of blanks to be placed in the hopper. The frictional connection in the mechanism for actuating the follower formed by frictional] y mounting the pulley 69 on the shaft 67 causes the follower to be pressed against the pile of blanks with a constant pressure, depending upon the adjustment of the friction device, and keeps the follower in contact with the pile of blanks at all times. The frictional connection also enables the follower to be rapidly raised from the pile of blanks when the action of the actuating mechanism is reversed by moving the shaft 67 in a direction to disengage the beveled gear 66 from the beveled gear 64 and bring the beveled gear 65 in engagement therewith, the pulley 69 rotating without driving the shaft 67 when the follower has reached the limit of itsupward movement. The frictional connection also allows the follower to be raised and lowered by hand, if desired.

For moving the shaft 67 longitudinally to bring the beveled gears 65 and 66 into engagement with the 'beveled gear 64 a bellcrank lever 77, pivoted to yoke 8 of the machine-frame, is provided, one arm of the bellcrank being forked to receive the end of shaft 67 and being connected thereto so as to move the shaft longitudinally, while permitting it to rotate by balls seated at the inner ends of holes bored through the sides of the yoke and engaging a groove in the end of the shaft. The other arm of the bell-crank 77 is connected by a rod 78 to an arm 79, pivoted to one of the side plates 5 of the frame, which is connected, by means of a rod 80 and bellcrank lever 81, to the treadle 58. The treadle is normally held in raised position against a stop 82 by coiled springs 83, secured to the treadle and to bolts 84, adjustably secured in lugs 85, projecting from the base 1 of the machine, and when the treadle is in this position the shaft 67 is held in its position to the left, as viewed in Fig. 7, with bevel-gear 65 in mesh with bevel-gear 64. Also the roll 53 is in its lowest position and the feed-slide 42 is disconnected from its actuating'mechanism. When the treadle 58 is depressed, the shaft 67 is moved to bring the bevel-gear 66 in mesh with bevel-gear 64, and the roll 53 is raised to connect the feed-slide to its actuating mechanism. In order to insure that the bottom blank of the pile in the hopper shall be in position to be fed forward at the first actuation of the feed-slide, the shaft 67 is moved to bring the bevel-gear 66 in mesh with bevel-gear 64 before the roll 53 is raised, whereby the follower is caused to contact with the pile of blanks before the feeding mechanism is thrown into operation. Also when the treadle is raised the roll 53 is lowered to throw the feeding mechanism out of operation before the shaft 67 is moved to disconnect the bevel-gear 66 from the bevel-gear in a l 64 in order to insure that a blank shall be rod 57 and the lever 56.

fed from the pile at the last actuation of the feed. slide. These results are attained by means of the connections between the bellcrank 81 and the treadle 58 and between the The connection between the bell-crank 81 and the treadle 58 consists of a pin 86, which projects from the treadle 58 through a slot in the bell-crank 86. The shape of this slot is such that during the first-portion of the downward. movement of the treadle the bell-crank is swung on its pivot by the contact of the pin 86 with the side of the slot, and duringthe last portion of the downward movement of the treadle the pin travels in the slot without actuating the bell-crank. The connection between the rod 57 and the lever 56 consists of a rectangular block 87, to which the end of the lever 56 is pivotally connected. and which is mounted in a slot 88in a block 89 at the upper end of the rod 57. The upper end of the rod has a screw-threaded connection with the block 89, and the block is locked in position by means of a locking-nut 90. The slot 88 allows a suflicient amount of lost motion between the rod 57 and the lever 56 to enable the rod 57 to move during that portion of the movement of the treadle 58 during which the bellcrank 81 is actuated without moving the lever 56. As a means for limiting the amount of lost motion between the rod 57 and the lever 56 a screw-threaded rod 91 is provided in the upper end of the block 89, which projects into the slot 88 and is locked in adjusted position by means of a locking-nut 92. The lever 56 is actuated by the treadle 58 through the rod 57 duringthe downward movement of the treadle only, a coiled spring 93 being provided for actuating the lever 56 to lower the roll during the upward movement of the treadle, said spring being connected to the lever and to a bolt 94, adjustably secured in a projection on the base 1 of the machine-frame. An adjustable stop 94* limits the movement of lever 58.

The operation of the machine above described, briefly stated, is as follows: So long as the driving-belt remains on the pulley 12 the die-roller, delivery-roller, and the shaft 32 are rotated continuously. While the treadle 58 is held in its raised position against stop 82 by means of the springs 83 the lever 56 is held against its stop 942* by the spring 93. The roll 53 is in its lowest position and the feed-slide is disconnected from its actuating mechanism. Also the shaft 67 is held in its position to the left as viewed in Fig. 7 the beveled gear is in mesh with beveled gear 64, and the follower 61 is in its raised position, the pulley 69 rotating on the shaft 67. When the treadle 58 is de pressed, the bell-crank 81 is swung on its pivot, and through'the rod 80, lever 79, rod 78, and bell-crank 77 moves the shaft 67 to the right, as viewed in Fig. 7, thereby moving beveled gear 65 out of mesh with beveled gear 64: and

moving beveled gear 66 into mesh with beveled gear 64. The shaft 67 is not rotated by the pulley 69, and the follower 61 is pressed against the pile of blanks in the hopper and forces the lowermost blank against the feedslide. which at this time isin its advanced position. During the continued downward movement of the treadle 58 and after the follower 61 has been brought into contact with the pile of blanks block 89 comes in contact with the block 87 in the slot 88 and actuates the lever 56 to raise the roll 58 and connect the feed -slide to its actuating mechanism. During its backward movement the feed slide is removed from beneath the pile of blanks and the lowermost blank is pressed into contact with the feed-table 6. As the feed-slide advances it engages the rear side of the lowermost blank and feeds the blank beneath the spring-pressed plate 10 of the hopper, which holds the blank down against the feed-table during its passage to the die-roller and pressure device. As the blank passes between the die-roller and pressure device its leading edge registers with the edge of the die-cavity and the blank is firmly pressed against the dieroller by the pressure device. The feed-slide acts upon the blank during its entire passage between the die-roller and the pressure device, so that a positive feed movement is imparted to the blank and any danger of the blank being displaced with relation to the die-cavity is avoided. The first portion of the die cavity recedes from the pressure device, and in order to insure that the blank will be forced into the die-cavity and firmly seated against the bottom thereof the mechanism for actuating the feed-slide is arranged to impart thereto a speed somewhat greater than the peripheral speed of the die-rollcr while the first portion of the blank is passing between the die-roller and pressure device. This movement of the feed-slide acts to bend the blank into the die-cavity, so that it will be firmly held against the bottom of the die-cavity by the pressure device. In order to cause the feed-slide to feed blanks of difli'erent widths, the connection between link 50 and the arm 49 is made zuljustable, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. The blank passes from the die-roller and pressure device between the die-roller and the delivery-roller 28, which cooperates with the die-roller in delivering the blank from the bite of the die-roller and skiving-knife and discharges the blank from the machine. The edge of the skiving-knife if forced away from the periphery of the die-roller bythe wedging action of the blank is thus allowed to return to its normal position before the next blank is brought into contact therewith. The blanks are fed through the machine so that the edge of the blank which forms the upper edge of the counter when in position in a completed shoe is presented first to the skivingknife. This edge is thus skived to the exact thickness required, and the upper portion of the counter produced is perfect. The bottom edge of a counter is lasted in the manufacture of a shoe, and it is immaterial whether this edge is skived to a somewhat greater thickness by the movement of the edge of the skiving-knife away from the die-roller or not. For all practicalpurposes, therefore, the articles produced by the machine are perfect.

When it is desired to place a new supply of blanks in the hopper, the treadle 58 is allowed to rise. During the first portion of the upward movement of the treadle the block 89 is moved upwardly, and the lever 56 is actuated by the spring 93 to lower the roll 53 and disconnect thefeed-slide from its actuating mechanism. After the lever 56 contacts with its stop 94* the pin 86 on the treadle actuates the bell-crank lever 81 and through the connections hereinbefore described moves the shaft 67 to disengage beveled gears 66 and 64 and bring beveled gear 65 into mesh with beveled gear 64. The follower 61 is thus raised after the feed-slide has been disconnected from its actuating mechanism. A new supply of blanks is then placed in the hopper and the treadle 58 depressed, when the cycle of operations above described is repeated.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A blank-feeding mechanism, having, in combination, a feed-table, a hopper located above the feed-table, a follower acting on the top of a pile of blanks in the hopper, means for feeding a blank from the bottom of the pile, mechanism for actuating the follower to force the pile of blanks toward the feed-table, and means under the control of the operator for throwing said mechanism into operation, substantially as described.

2. A blank-feeding mechanism, having, in combination, a feed-table, a hopper located above the feed-table, a follower acting on the top of a pile of blanks in the hopper, means for feeding a blank from the bottom of the pile, and mechanism for actuating the follower to force the pile of blanks toward the feed-table and for raising the follower, substantially as described.

3. A blank-feeding mechanism, having, in combination, a hopper, a follower acting on a pile of blanks in the hopper, and mechanism for actuating the follower to maintain the pile of blanks in proper position to be fed from the hopper, and for actuating the follower in a direction to allow a new supply of blanks to be placed in the hopper, substantially as described.

4. A blank-feeding mechanism, having, in combination, ahopper, a follower acting on a pile of blanks in the hopper, and mechanism including a frictional power-transmitting device for actuating the follower to maintain the pile of blanks in proper position to be fed from the hopper, substantially as described.

5. A blank-feeding mechanism, having, in combination, a hopper, a follower acting on a pile of blanks in the hopper, and mechanism including a frictional power-transmitting device and reversing devices for actuating the follower to maintain the pile of blanks in proper position to be fed from the hopper and for actuating the follower in a direction to allow a new supply of blanks to be placed in the hopper, substantially as described.

6. A blank-feeding mechanism, having, in combination, a hopper, a follower acting on a pile of blanks in the hopper, feeding mechanism for feeding blanks from the pile, mechanism for actuating the follower in a direction to allow a supply of blanks to be placed in the hopper, and means for throwing the feeding mechanism out of operation and for throwing the mechanism for actuating the follower into operation, substantially as described.

7 A blank-feeding mechanism, having; in combination, a hopper, a follower acting on a pile of blanks in the hopper, mechanism for actuating the follower in a direction to allow a supply of blanks to be placed in the hopper, and means under the control of the operator for throwing said mechanism into operation, substantially as described.

8. A blank-feeding mechanism, having, in combination, a hopper, a follower acting on a pile of blanks in the hopper, feeding mechanism for feeding blanks from the pile, mechanism for actuating the follower to maintain the pile of blanks in proper position with relation to the feeding mechanism, and means controlled by the operator for throwing the mechanism for actuating the follower and thereafter the feeding mechanism into operation, substantially as described.

. 9. A blank-feeding mechanism, having, incombination, a hopper, a follower acting on a pile of blanks in the hopper, feeding mechanism for feeding blanks from the pile, mechanism for actuating the follower to maintain the pile of blanks in proper position with relation to the feeding mechanism and for actuating the follower in a direction to allow a supply of blanks to be placed in the hopper,

means controlled by the operator for throw-' ing the mechanism for actuating the follower into operation to actuate the follower to maintain the pile of blanks in proper position with relation to the feeding mechanism, for thereafter throwing the feeding mechanism into operation, for throwing the feeding mechanism out of operation, and for thereafter throwing the mechanism for actuating the follower into operation to actuate the follower in a direction to allow a supply of blanks to be placed in the hopper, substantially as described.

10. A blank-feeding mechanism, having, in combination, a hopper, a follower acting on a pile of blanks in the hopper, feeding mechanism for feeding the blanks from the pile, mech- IIO anism for actuating the follower to maintain combination, a hopper, a follower acting on a the pile of blanks in proper position with repile-of blanks in the hopper, and means for lation to the feeding mechanism, and means actuating the follower in a direction to allow controlled by the operator for throwing the anew supply of blanks to be placed in the 5 5 mechanism for actuating the follower and hopper, substantially as described.

thereafter the feeding mechanism into opera- In testimony whereof I allix mysignature in tion, and for throwing the feeding Inechanpresence of two Witnesses. ism and thereafter the mechanism for actuat- J ACOB R. SCOTT. ing the follower out of operation, substan- Witnesses:

1O tially as described. FRED O. FISH,

11. Ablank-feeding mechanism, having, in Holmes VAN EVEHEN. 

